


Sympathy of the Forest

by Lunarium



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Curses, Depression, Discussion of Suicide Ideation, Eventual Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Shiro's PTSD, Trans Keith (Voltron), Trans Male Character, Werewolves, Witch Curses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 05:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17616392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: Keith, living as a wolf ever since his parents were killed, comes across an ecologist, recently camped out in his territory, who neither runs away from the sight of wolves nor carries a gun with him.





	Sympathy of the Forest

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sheith Prompt Party! This was the prompt I picked: 
> 
>  
> 
> _86\. Keith is a werewolf who's been living exclusively as a wolf for a few years, following the death of his parents by a hunter. But when Shiro, an ecologist doing field work deep in his forest, wanders into his territory he decides that maybe not all humans are bad and he could try the human thing from time to time again_
> 
>  
> 
> Title comes from a beautiful piece by Kitaro called "[Symphony of the Forest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RErfkm9dF0Q)." Click the link to enjoy. <3
> 
> Many thanks to cryptidkickflip for looking this over! <3

Before her death, Krolia had imparted to her son Keith three rules: always trust your sense of smell, run away at the sight of man, and never venture out of your cave during the night of the Wolf Moon. Following them was imperative, and the only reason Keith was still alive, living alone in the deep forests which connected to bustling human cities. Keith was careful. He kept far from the main roads; at first scent of gasoline dripping from human car engines, he’d skirt right back behind the safety of the greenery. 

His mother had taught him how to count the days and nights so he may keep track of the moon. The Wolf Moon was dangerous to head out, even if all the wolves were out and howling. That was the night when the witch was most active. 

For it was a night like this that Keith and his parents had fallen under the witch’s curse.

*

The stench of the vehicle assaulted Keith’s nostrils even from this distance. His eyes shot open and his fur stood on end. The fuel hung in the air thick like poison and dangerously close to Keith’s own cave. How far into his territory had this human trespassed?

Gingerly he stuck his head out, peering through the thicket of bushes and leaves. His vantage point provided him little in the way of solving the mystery of who the trespasser was— _Who is in my territory? Get out!_

His mother always warned him to steer clear of men. It was one of the three vital rules of survival. But in order to avoid men, Keith had to know where they were. 

He checked the vicinity first, ensuring there was no sign of any human within sight before slipping out. The stench of gasoline came from beyond the line of trees. 

The glade. 

Keith growled. The human dared to _camp_ near his dwelling? 

_Not here_ , Keith thought with a little terrified flick of his tail. Who could be so daring? 

He moved with utmost stealth, his heart slowly pounding its way up his throat, his legs ready to dart out of danger, as he neared the clearing. 

Something poked through the green, a little metal among the greenery. When Keith poked his head out, he saw an RV, and not too far from that: the human with a most disarming smile, working diligently, as he had not noticed the wolf among the thicket.

*

Shiro wiped a sweat from his brow, scratching the white forelock against his forehead as he did so, and glanced up to the skies with a smile. All set up and ready to begin. He had been so glad Dr. Holt cleared him to carry his study deep in this region of the forest. Pidge and Matt, his own children bless him, had moaned at the idea of studying ecology out in nature itself. Shiro couldn’t blame Pidge; her skin easily broke under the sun, but Matt had no excuse. A computer could be taken anywhere.

`Now to go look for some mushrooms! :)`, he texted Pidge and Matt. Moments later three dots within a bubble appeared and then a new message: 

`If you try any and hallucinate that's on you - M&P`

_Idiots_ , Shiro thought affectionately. He spent the day familiarizing himself with the forest, taking photos on his phone and documenting what he had seen. Best to be as intimate with his surroundings as he can first; if he found himself lost, he can easily find the path back to the camp. He didn’t do much searching for the elusive mushrooms; Dr. Sam Holt had funded plenty of time for Shiro to be on this trip. It was fine to schedule a full day just to set up camp and study the area. 

_Day 1: No sign of the reported mushrooms_ , Shiro wrote in his notes, _but have learned plenty of the ecology of the forest._ He scribbled on, lost in thought and excited to detail as much as possible of the types of trees, the vegetations, animal life, and the forth. 

_This area may also be home to some wolves, although I have yet to come across one_ , Shiro continued before taping onto the page a sample of a branch and turning to jot notes of the tree the branch belonged to. 

A rustle among the bushes could have been caused by the wind. 

Although his RV had a small kitchen with a stove, Shiro decided to warm up his dinner outside. The place was peaceful and there hadn’t been any signs of wolves, not even a howl. And he knew oftentimes they were docile. 

And a bit more selfishly, he wanted to enjoy the starry sky in a place far from light pollution. 

After he was done, he decided to be a little more daring and bring out a sleeping bag outside—the weather was fair here, even around this time of year. He studied the stars and marveled for a while. During another lifetime he must have been an astronaut, Shiro surmised as he drifted off into sleep. 

He slept well and peacefully, until there was a sound growing closer and the presence drew him wide awake.

*

Keith’s stomach rumbled. He had, against his mother’s teaching, kept an eye on the human all day, but he had kept out of sight. He didn’t want to be seen. He just wanted to make sure the human wasn’t going to be a problem. After all, he was so close to Keith’s cave!

But the human appeared harmless for now. He—Keith was fairly confident the human was a man—had wandered throughout the forest all day and didn’t make too much of a mess. Sometimes some young humans would come in and drink from cans before throwing them and laugh rudely (sometimes they threw up too, minutes or hours later.) This human didn’t drink or laugh rudely or throw cans at trees or even throw up (yet). Instead his face would light up in delight at a tree. 

Keith thought him weird. What kind of human found trees fascinating? Some peed on them. Most just passed them by. 

Weirder still was that he decided to eat _and_ sleep outside; didn’t humans prefer to be inside? He had a large vehicle he could be in. 

But Keith didn’t have time to try to parse this strange human; humans were just generally very strange and rude, and he was starting to dislike him for building a fire. But then the aroma of whatever he was cooking travelled to him and Keith drooled, suddenly craving a bite. He watched behind the bushes, trying not to whimper as the human slopped through the pot— _saucepan_. Keith remembered his father using one, a long, long time ago. 

Keith waited until the human tucked himself to sleep. The saucepan was _right there_ , but the dratted sleeping human was nearby, but Keith’s sharp nose could still pick out something—there was still food remaining! Even more interesting, there wasn’t a single knife in sight. The human couldn’t harm him even if he tried. 

Moving as gingerly as he could, he slipped from his hiding place and tiptoed towards the saucepan. He was just an inch away from his prize when the human’s eyes suddenly flew wide open, looking right at him. His mouth fell open in a little “o”.

Keith considered his options: run, grab the saucepan and run, or tear the human apart. But he just stood, frozen. 

“Hi there, buddy,” the human spoke. “Hungry?” He shifted from his sleeping bag and pushed the saucepan towards Keith. To his alarm, Keith realized the human was missing a hand; didn’t the human have two hands earlier that day? 

The saucepan stopped in front of him. Confused, Keith looked down, noted the tasty morsels, took a sniff—his stomach rumbled again—then looked up again to make sure the human wasn’t hiding a gun before licking the pan clean. 

When he was done, Keith wasted no time. He bolted back towards the bushes, but not before he heard the softest chuckle behind him. 

“So beautiful.” 

He turned back. The human, wearing a smile so peaceful, so unafraid, had fallen back asleep.

*

Keith checked back on the human the following morning. More smells filled the forest, indicative that the human either stayed or he had left and a new group had taken his place.

The former was correct, which made Keith’s heart leap, much to his surprise. 

“You’re back!” the human greeted with a big smile. “I made enough for both of us!” 

He set down an entire saucepan just for Keith; he had already served himself the amount he needed on a plate that was set on a small serving table beside him. Keith studied the contents within before chowing down hungrily. The human picked up a fork and ate—all with his left hand, Keith noted. He finished the last of the morsels and slowly ushered himself closer. The human set his eyes on him, smiling politely, both eyebrows raised. 

“Yes?” 

Keith sniffled around his right arm, and the human extended it, showing that it ended on a stump. Whimpering, Keith sniffed the stump. 

“Aww, it’s okay, buddy,” the human said gently. “It’s an old injury. The doctor had to remove it; otherwise I would die, she had said.” Up close, the man’s eyes watered whenever he smiled, like there was a sadness buried within, something from the past. Keith noted a scar across the bridge of his nose. The hair also struck him as weird: the hair below the ears were shaved close to the scalp; a small patch of his hair down the front middle was white, whereas the rest of his hair was black…like a skunk. But the human didn’t smell bad at all. 

“But I’m okay now,” the human said. “I have a robotic prosthetic to help me pick things up and type on a keyboard. I took it off before my shower and I haven’t put it on yet. I should before I go hunt for some mushrooms.” 

Keith couldn’t comprehend what a robotic prosthetic was, although the context gave him some clue, but—

Mushrooms. Keith vaguely recalled the word; something said long ago, back when he still had a home, still was human all the time, when his mother and father were still alive…but maybe it was the effect of being in the form of a wolf for so long, but it was like trying to recall a dream from many years ago. 

“There’ve been reports of a new species of mushrooms spotted around here—oh, I have a picture I can show you!” The human picked up a device next to his plate and brought it towards Keith’s line of vision. 

Oh, _those_. Keith’s tail flicked. 

“They might be edible, they might be hallucinogenic, or they might be poisonous. None of that interests us at the moment, although I don’t want you licking anything—nor me, for that matter! I’m only interested in studying the ecological effects of this mushroom in the region. Where had it come from? Is it related to another mushroom we already know of? Or is it an invasive species? Thus begins my thrilling adventure of mushroom hunting!” 

Hallucinogenic. Ecological. Invasive. Some of the words rattled in Keith’s head, confusing him, but he tried to follow, unwittingly placing his head on the human’s knee as he rambled on excitedly about his work. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know where I can find some?” the human chuckled lightly. 

Keith had seen them, but he wouldn’t be able to recall where exactly. He had always passed them by. And while the human’s tone wasn’t malicious, he still felt bad at not being able to answer him; his ears flattened in regret.

“Aww, don’t feel bad! I was given a long vacation here, and some time alone will do me good.” 

To Keith’s surprise, the human stroked his fur right behind his ear. If it had elicited any reaction in self-defense, it was immediately disarmed by the human’s smile.

*

Keith kept close by. The human dressed up for the day, placed on his prosthetic, and gathered up some supplies for his expedition. To Keith’s relief, he was just as polite to the outside world as before. Other than the campfire, which was small and contained and burned only minimal amount of wood, this human didn’t damage the forest the way the other humans had.

He seemed to sink in with the world, drawn by every nook and cranny of it. Keith would break away, being more nimble and quick on his feet, and searched about, trying to recall where he had seen the mushrooms before. 

But he would often go back, finding himself wanting to help the human lift things, as the human seemed interested in gathering things to either take back to the camp to study or to take pictures of it, displaying it on a tree stump or a large flat rock. The robotic hand didn’t work as well as the human hand; at least, Keith didn’t trust it. But it wasn’t easy picking things up with his jaw either, or he’d noticed the human wince and later on realize his teeth had damaged whatever it was the human wanted to study. 

But he kept his displeasure from showing, thanking Keith at the end of each day. Yet Keith could see through it. And it filled him with guilt. He could do so much more to help him, if only he…

_No_ , Keith warred with himself as he lay, curled up in his cave one night. He hadn’t done this in a very long time, and he was scared. Could he really trust the human? He seemed so laid back, and the stories he told Keith…he wasn’t like the other humans who had come in here. Humans feared and hated wolves. Not this human. He was so relaxed around him, trusting Keith as if he knew him all his life. Or maybe that’s how this human was with everything and everyone. His heart was full of so much kindness, despite the sadness Keith always saw in them whenever he smiled. 

Keith wanted to help, and yet every time he tried, he felt it wasn’t enough. He was still just a wolf, an animal companion, at most, to the human. 

He remembered his mother’s warning, and his heart clenched. He should stay away from men—he saw how terrible they were—but not once had this human given Keith a reason to fear him. He didn’t even carry a weapon. Keith had never so much as seen a _knife_ , only the plastic kind to cut up his food, which Keith found unusual. And the way he always smiled…the way he’d stroke Keith’s cheek or the back of his ears…Keith’s heart ached at the memory of his touch, his voice…would he treat Keith differently if he was human? 

Keith trembled, suddenly cold in his cave and wide awake as his sharp eyes bore through the dark and caught the outlines of the RV through the thicket. Tomorrow was either going to put his mind at ease or make him come to regret his decision.

*

The morning sun shone bright, still in the mists of dawn. Dew clung to grass as Keith made his way to the RV. Noting the door was ajar, he invited himself inside, looking about shyly before spotting the human. His back was turned away from the door, half-dressed and setting something on a counter.

Keith didn’t want to alarm him, but his steps must have been silent on the too-smooth, glossy ground of the RV. He checked to make sure he could make a quick getaway if the need arose before taking another step towards the human. 

He gave a little whimper, and hopped back as the human understandably yelped. He spun around, eyes wide, before noticing Keith. His face softened into a bright smile. 

“Hey, buddy!” he said, still sounding mildly alarmed. “You—you found your way in! Ah!” 

_He thinks I’m going to hurt him_ , Keith realized. It was now or never. 

He gave the push, and the old yet familiar sensation followed. It had been so long since Keith last shifted that he at first wasn’t sure if the process could work. His body ached, his bones snapped and reformed under his skin; his paws extended into feet, bare and cold against the tiled floor. The vantage point of the world alerted as Keith’s height sprung, supporting himself on his hind legs—his only two legs, freeing the front two to become arms. 

The human gasped as Keith shook his head, feeling his longish hair against his bare shoulders, and looked back at him. 

“I—I—,” Keith coughed heavily to clear out his throat. A few more tries and he was able to regain the ability to speak. “I’m K-Keith. My name is Keith. I—”

He stumbled as he took a step forward. Damn it. He gripped the counter to steady himself. He wasn’t used to walking on two legs after so many years as a wolf, and he definitely wasn’t used to being this height. He must have hit a growth spurt; last time he had been human, he was still a child. He was properly an adult now, and his naked body had since developed, strong and muscular in form, resembling his mother’s. He would be able to carry young, Keith casually thought before stowing it away. 

“I’m not used to being in this form,” Keith confessed. “I want to help you get more mus— _mussrooms?_ Mushrooms—I want to help you get mushrooms.” 

“You can shape-shift,” the human marveled under his breath. “This is amazing.” He shook his head as if shaking himself out of reverie. “Um…yeah…Keith?—that’s just a lovely name! It means ‘forest’—oh!—I mean—That’s so kind of you, Keith! I’m sorry, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves despite having known one another for a few days! My name is Takashi Shirogane, but my friends call me Shiro.” 

“Taka—”

He chuckled. “You can call me Shiro, Keith.” 

“Shi-ro,” Keith repeated slowly so he could memorize it, his heart elevating at finally knowing the human’s name and being considered Shiro’s friend. Shiro studied him, smiling warmly, before suddenly looking away, his forelock barely able to hide the blush that crossed his cheeks. 

“Um—would you like to wash up? I have clothes I can lend you, and some spare towels you can borrow.”

Shiro gathered some towels and soap for Keith, then led him to the RV’s bathroom. It was a compact space; the toilet, shower, and sink stood close to one another, too alarmingly close, especially with two people inside. Shiro showed Keith how to use the shower head, flush the toilet, and work the sink faucet.

“If you need anything else, I’ll be around,” Shiro said on his way out. 

The water came like warm rain, soothing and enjoyable. The scent of the soap triggered an ancient memory—many years ago, a home, his mother scrubbing him clean in a bathtub while he pouted and grumbled, not wanting to be washed. Keith smiled sadly. 

After he was done, he studied the sets of Shiro’s clothes he had laid out for him while Shiro took his turn in the shower. None of Shiro’s pants fit; too long, and the buckle sagged down as it sat against Keith’s hips. He couldn’t move as well in them. Shiro’s shirts were also big, but easier to move around in. 

“You won’t get cold?” Shiro had asked when he was done, noting that Keith had turned down all of his pants. 

“I’m used to it,” Keith said matter-of-factly as he tried another shirt. He stole a look towards Shiro, admiring his strong abs and chest, before Shiro walked out. Keith frowned. What offended him? 

“Okay…but maybe try, um, one of the underwears I set for you.” Keith almost had to laugh; whenever Shiro got flustered or nervous about something, his voice would get low and he’d speak a little quicker as if tossing the words out of his mouth faster would end the conversation sooner. But Keith found something that could fit, and would stay on as long as he wore the belt bag around his waist over the chosen sweater. 

“And some socks, at least,” Shiro continued. “Please.” 

“Why?” Keith glanced at Shiro’s shoes; if he wore any of them, he would land right on his face. 

“I don’t want you going barefoot.” 

“I always walked barefoot in the forest!” 

“As a wolf,” Shiro pointed out, daring to look into the bedroom. It seemed the less he saw Keith naked the more preferable it was, although each time he caught skin, his face would get all flustered. “As a human, there’s a lot of microbes in the soil that could be lethal if it gets through broken skin.” 

“What’s a microbe?” Keith asked, furrowing his brow, but he wore socks as instructed. He found the longest pair he could find from Shiro’s drawer, just to give himself a semblance of a complete attire. Cover the legs; it won’t make Shiro as flustered. 

He showed Shiro when he was done, feeling proud of himself; when was the last time he had worn clothes? Shiro’s eyes widened and he seemed unable to speak for a few moments before finally clearing his voice and ushering Keith to join him at the table. A breakfast and some discussion about their plans for the day, as well as a crash course on the supplies in Shiro’s backpack, and they set off.

*

“Shiro…why don’t you have a gun?” Keith asked. They were well on their way. Keith had recommended a different route today; being more familiar with the forest than Shiro, he could point him down paths to search with the promise of being able to help him track back to the camp.

Shiro glanced back at Keith’s question with a tiny yet sad smile before replying, in a very simple and frank matter that meant he wasn’t going to address it further: 

“Dr. Holt doesn’t want me to have one.” 

Keith frowned and wondered about that. The humans who came here tended to carry weapons, especially the ones who camped. Handguns, rifles…one had even carried a machete—it was part of natural law of survival to carry some sort of means of survival.

Shiro didn’t even have knives in his kitchen. 

“What’s Dr. Holt like?” Keith asked, hoping the change in conversation topic would make the air about them less awkward. “Is he the one who operated on your arm?” 

Shiro chuckled. “No. He’s a doctor in computer sciences and data analysis, not in human physiology.” Keith blew air from his nose, frustrated at the series of words that only kept confusing him. Shiro stopped for a minute, pulled out his phone, his thumb flying over the surface, before turning back to Keith and placing the flat device on his open palms. He spoke as they continued on their walk. 

In the photo were four smiling people around Shiro. Besides Shiro, they must all have been from the same family.

“Dr. Samuel Holt,” Shiro said, pointing to the elder man in glasses. “He’s very active in his work. He works in the university—it’s how we met and his recommendation gave me the job at Galaxia Labs—at the field, in the lab. Everyone in the photo here is his family—except me, ha ha. The woman next to him is Dr. Colleen Holt. She’s an ecologist whose main interest is plant life in this area. And the young lady there is Katie, or Pidge as she prefers. She sometimes joins me on the field, but she prefers staying in the lab, or writing out programs to better help us with our research. And the young man next to her is Matt, Dr. Holts’s son. He joins his father in analyzing data in the computer.” 

Keith studied each of their faces, taken aback by the kindness in their smiles. So unlike the humans who often came here. 

“And Pidge…,” Shiro paused again and turned back to swipe at the screen with his thumb; the photo disappeared, replaced by another. A pristine picture of a flower garden; Pidge stood in a white dress beside a man larger and wider than her. “Married her own lab partner from back in uni: Hunk. Apparently their arguments in modules is what led to romance. Just like Sam and Colleen.” 

Something about that was apparently amusing to Shiro; Keith smiled back uncertainly. 

“Oh! Let me show you Dr. Alteran!” He swiped again and another photo showed up of a very beautiful woman with sparkling eyes and a man next to her holding some bird; he must have been married to her from the way his head was tilted towards her, and his expression, Keith guessed, as if he felt like the luckiest person in the world. A twinge of jealousy filled Keith. The next photo showed the same two with another, taller and much older man with an orange mustache and orange-and-grey hair. The lady posed while carrying a very large cat, and behind her must have been her company’s sign. Keith strained his memory to recall the alphabet and read: Voltron Veterinary Clinic. 

“Dr. Allura Alteran,” Shiro said. “Her speciality is veterinary medicine. She frequently works with us. The older man is Dr. Coran. He and Allura’s father found the vet business; her father’s now retired. And that’s her husband there, Lance. He’s so gone for her that he took _her_ last name when he married her.” 

Keith nodded slowly. He couldn’t remember his own last name. 

As he had memorized Shiro’s swiping action, and Shiro didn’t seem to mind him snooping through his photos, he studied the others throughout their walk. If anything, he was happy to introduce Keith to everyone in the photos. Romelle, a nurse at the vet clinic, or Luca, a former secretary (and Romelle’s ex—oh, the stories!); Tavo, Romelle’s husband; Romelle’s brother Bandor, a new tech at Galaxia Labs. A few students Shiro had taught in his time as a TA: James, Nadia, Ryan, Ina. Grumpy Professor Iverson. So many faces. So many stories.

But the number of photos of humans didn’t compare to the number of photos of Shiro’s passion: nature. Photos of plants, trees, animals, rivers—most of which weren’t from here. Keith’s eyes teemed at the thought of what the wider world was like. He never had a chance to explore beyond this forest. What little he remembered had become fogged in all the years of being in a wolf’s body, trapping himself for his own protection after his parents’ cruel murders. 

And then there were the photos of the other humans, so unlike the sort who Keith had encountered before. He found himself yearning more and more to be part of Shiro’s world. Photos of Shiro and his friends looking happy, or silly—there was one of Matt and Pidge pressed on either side of Shiro’s face and he clearly looked uncomfortable but everyone was laughing—and ones where Shiro had taken of himself, posed before a mirror, and Keith thought back of the RV and what he had glimpsed of Shiro’s body, and—

Somewhere far back among Shiro’s photos was one with him and a man Keith only vaguely recognized. Something about the man made his stomach drop, and he wasn’t sure why. At first he thought he was Matt because of the glasses, but his hair was shorter and his skin a shade darker.

There was something about the way the man was leaning into Shiro that made Keith’s stomach churn with a coldness and heat he couldn’t quite put into words. The Shiro in this photo looked pinched and weaker with illness, yet his hair was fully black and his smile still shone with all the beauty of the moon. 

“Shiro, who is that?” Keith asked, holding up the phone. 

Shiro, who had been distracted studying the remains of a tree torn up by some storm long ago, looked up. 

“Oh…Adam,” he said. “He’s an old boyfriend.” 

“He doesn’t look old.” 

Shiro laughed. “I mean, we’re no longer together.” 

Keith internally breathed a sigh of relief, and found himself secretly hoping that Shiro didn’t have any new boyfriend, or a girlfriend for that matter. He quickly reprimanded himself for being so selfish. 

“What happened?” he asked. 

“He didn’t want to continue being with someone who was dying,” Shiro explained. “I mean…he was ready to be with me until the end—until I died—but he didn’t think I should continue my job doing field work and studying nature and the world. Thought it was too risky. Thought my body couldn’t handle it. But it made me happy. I didn’t want to give it up, so he left.” 

Keith nodded slowly, unsure what to say. 

“I had the surgery without him,” Shiro said with a shrug. “I never told him. Didn’t think I would want to return to him if our relationship was going south over something like this. And I didn’t want any more problems with him, not after the ordeal I went through to get healed. And that wasn’t the only issue between us. We’ve had fights—over small things, over big things. We simply weren’t compatible in any means, not even—oh, this is so silly to say, not even with our astrological sign—but we simply weren’t compatible; I was foolish to think love alone could keep us together. You live and learn.

“But it’s fine being without him. Besides, I had learned he had shot some animals before—for self defense, he had insisted. But there was something about the way he said it…I didn’t believe him. It had happened very long ago, before we knew one another when he was a teen, but I couldn’t be with someone knowing he had shot an animal. I’m not for that.” 

Keith settled himself on a large rock. “Is that why you don’t carry a gun? You respect life?”

Shiro chuckled. “It really matters to you, this thing about guns.” 

Keith sighed. “My mother and father were killed. They were in wolf form. I escaped because they ensured my survival. I don’t think the killer knew what we really were. We used to be a normal family. A _human_ family. Then a witch cursed us. My father had done something to upset her, and she cursed us on the night of the Wolf Moon. We could turn to wolves at will, but trouble followed us, like the witch had placed a curse over our house. It was hard staying back at home. After my parents were killed, I—I was alone and scared. My parents died when I was…eight? Nine? Ten? I don’t even remember. It must have been ten years ago.” 

Shiro’s face softened. “Is that why you’ve been hiding here all this time?” 

Keith nodded. “My mother gave me three rules to live by: trust my sense of smell, don’t trust humans, and don’t venture on the night of the Wolf Moon. You’re the first human I ever spoke to since my parents’ deaths.” 

“Well, I’m honored you trust me.” 

Keith’s face broke into a small smile before something caught the corner of his eye. Leaning over the large rock, he squinted down the path and then snapped to his feet. 

“There are some mushrooms up ahead!” he announced.

*

“Should we collect any rabbits to test the mushrooms?” Keith asked. Days later and they had collected a few more samples of the mushrooms along with some of the surrounding environment: grass: soil, bark samples from the tree the mushrooms grew on. Shiro had sounded excited as he spoke on the phone with Dr. Holt, and if Shiro was happy, then so was Keith.

“No! Why?” Shiro’s voice hitched in alarm. 

Keith shrugged. “To see if they will hallucinate or if the mushrooms will poison them.” 

“Keith, I can’t believe you’re suggesting we willingly poison rabbits!” Shiro’s face, full of horror, almost made Keith laugh. “The thought of my pet Snowball…” 

“I eat rabbits,” Keith reminded him. “I promise I won’t eat Snowball.” 

Shiro sighed. “Point taken. No harming rabbits, but we _can_ take blood samples from any we find near a mushroom patch and see if there are any toxins in them. That’s a good idea, actually. I’ll contact Allura and see if we can run some tests.” 

Keith nodded in agreement to the compromise. They were camping out again for the evening, and Keith was going through more of Shiro’s photos. Some of his older images jarred more of Keith’s earlier memories of when he was in human form, his earlier life. It was a fun pastime, a great way for Keith to gauge his own memory, recall back parts of himself, and a great way to get to know Shiro more. It was been weeks, but he felt like he knew Shiro for years; considering how long he had been living as a human, it may as well be. 

“Ah, Snowball,” Keith had joked when he found the photo of Shiro’s pet. “Delicious.” 

To his relief, Shiro hadn’t hated him for daring such a joke. 

“My birthday party,” Shiro laughed at one picture of a child him and Matt. “My mother sent me this one. She had taken it on her phone. I think this was my eighth birthday? Yes, had to be. Matt and I wanted to be space astronauts. That’s Grandpa Ryou’s telescope he got for me in the background. And all the astronomy books. I always wanted to be an astronaut as a kid; sometimes I wonder if I was one in a previous life!” 

“Birthday…?” 

“When we celebrate the day we were born. My birthday is February 29. I was a leap baby.” At Keith’s confused expression Shiro explained what a leap year was. 

“Oh!” Keith said when Shiro was done. “I think I was born in October? I don’t remember the day. But I remember the leaves were different colors.” 

“So you’re either a Libra or Scorpio,” Shiro mused loudly. “Either one are a good match with Pisces, Scorpio much more so.” 

Keith’s smile quirked. Shiro hadn’t approached the topic of romance with him frequently—he seemed a bit too shy over that, although Keith could sense his attraction to him as vividly as anything—but each time Shiro had made the effort to allude to their budding _something_ Keith’s heart leapt. He had been staying more in Shiro’s RV than back in his cave during the nights. In the beginning he would transform back into a wolf, guarding the RV from any wandering wolf. Without any weapon on Shiro, Keith felt it necessary to protect him. But in time he too spent it inside, at first curled up on the floor near the doors before Shiro requested he sleep, in human form, on the bed next to him. 

“It wouldn’t be fair,” he had said. “You’re my friend, not my watchdog. And, besides, I…I would like to have you sleep next to me.” And again, the words had come out quickly, nervous, and Keith couldn’t have been any more delighted. 

“Well, I am very attracted to you,” Keith said bluntly, watching under his bangs at how flustered his words made Shiro. So flustered that he drew his drink up to his nose. 

_Just like the photo Pidge had snapped of him_ , Keith thought. Shiro hadn’t deleted that picture. He didn’t seem the sort to ever delete images, no matter how embarrassing. But that had worked in Keith’s favor; the pictures told him so much about Shiro’s life and the adorably dorky man he was falling for. 

Shiro had also taken pictures of Keith and of himself with Keith posed together (a “selfie”, Shiro said they were called.) For the first time Keith finally saw himself in a photo: smaller in stature compared to Shiro but built strong in body, his gaze intense, his dark hair long and a bit windswept. He had caught Shiro admiring photos of him when he thought Keith wasn’t looking. 

After Shiro had recovered, his face finally a decent shade of pink, he found a reply. “You do strike me as more Scorpio, the natural soulmate to Pisces.” 

Keith leaned forward, settling his chin over his hands. “How so?” 

Shiro considered his question, a playful little smile playing on his handsome face. “Well…” 

The conversation carried into the night, their voices growing low under the watchful stars, soon to witness the first caress, the first kiss, the first of hitched breaths and the softest of moans. Thus began a new routine, the night marked by their kisses and caresses under moonlight seeping through the shades of the RV’s bedroom. 

The first night they made love, Shiro watched Keith shyly and asked, “This is okay for you…right?” 

It took a while for Keith to understand what he meant. Wolves often formed long-lasting attachments to their mates, but Keith wasn’t a wolf. 

“I’m only human,” Keith replied and kissed the inside of Shiro’s palm, guiding him back between his open legs. “Would you oppose if this became forever?” 

Shiro’s finger dipped deep as he exhaled a soft moan close to Keith’s ear and kissed where his neck met his shoulder. “No, not at all.” 

The shift in their relationship added a sweetness to their every moment. The days spent working as a team, one unit, on their findings, contacting Galaxia Labs or even Voltron Vet Clinic, which had a small lab and research facility in association with them. During the days they were the closest of friends, intimate yet a power unit, but at nights they were one, tender and unified. 

Shiro had always kept his robotic hand in a box before he slept, tightly closed with a lock. Keith had wondered if it was to reenergize the hand, or prevent thieves from stealing it. Shiro had chuckled and agreed as much. But sometimes he kept it until after their intimacies, using both hands to pleasure Keith before discarding the robotic hand away and returning to bed; each time he did this, his smile to Keith upon return carried the same eyes that sparkled with the sadness deep within, but Keith couldn’t make sense of it. He assumed it was the cold, as January brought on colder nights even in this region of the world; they would huddle under thick layers of warm blankets and smile to one another, naked but warm and together. 

Sometimes once wasn’t enough, too hungry for each other’s body as they were. The risk of pregnancy was the only thing that might stop them; Shiro didn’t carry any protection as he was single and had no interest in pursuing anyone after his last breakup, but Keith was attuned to his body and did not think their lovemaking poised any risk. 

Yet Keith couldn’t help but hold Shiro close after and think, _Husband. My husband_ , and wonder how it tasted on his tongue. Imagined a child or two in their midst, and his heart hammered in mild alarm and exhilaration. If kids were to come into this, he would not have them now. It was still too early. But maybe someday… 

Would Shiro agree? 

And yet, everything _had_ to go fast. Shiro’s field work would eventually come to an end…and then what for them? Would Keith return to the forest and wait until Shiro came to visit him? 

He gripped Shiro tighter. 

The thought impacted the waking hours. Witnessing the wrap-up of Shiro’s side of the research brought on a bittersweetness. He was happy for him, and to know he played some role in pointing Shiro to everything he needed, but the thought of them parting ways hurt. He would have to go back to being alone after tomorrow. 

“Hey, everything okay?” 

Shiro’s voice, softer than the setting sunlight, shouldn’t have hurt so much. Keith tried to speak, but was met by soft lips. 

“Hey, it’s okay…I wanted to say…”

But their bodies spoke for them instead: hands, mouths, tongues, souls entwining, hearts beating in a synced rhythm. 

Afterwards, Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith, spooning him in this time, and brought his lips to his ear. His words came softly. 

“The reason why Dr. Holt didn’t want me to have any gun or knife is because he was worried I would kill myself.” 

Keith furrowed his brow. “Why would you want to kill yourself?” 

“When I had that surgery…that doctor…she had done some things to me. I was in ‘treatment’ for months, but…it only messed me up. She tormented me. She messed up my head badly. That cure was the most traumatic thing of my life. I was glad to have been rid of my illness. I was so close to dying, but what had she done to me in the process? I had become sick in another way. I couldn’t stop crying for weeks afterwards. I had panic attacks—I felt the walls were closing in on me and I would freeze during inappropriate times, such as while I was driving—and the worst part was, I couldn’t figure out what was triggering them.” 

“She made you…sad?” 

Shiro nodded against Keith’s head. “Sadness if a part of depression, yes, but far more than that. It is a deep sorrow without seeing a horizon, a relief from your suffering. It is feeling as though all energy had been drained from you.”

“Like grief,” Keith gasped. “I felt that after my parents were killed.”

“Yes, it can be part of grief,” Shiro said. “In my case, I was no longer dying but I had lost the will to live.” 

Keith shifted so he was looking up at Shiro. “How can it be? It’s ingrained inside every living thing to want to survive.” 

Shiro chuckled hollowly. “Then you’ve pinpointed what’s so horrifying about depression: it is the very antithesis to living, to the feeling of being alive and wanting to live. In carving out my illness she had hollowed me out, turned me into an empty shell.” 

_What sort of doctor would do that?_ Keith thought. Doctors were healers, like the kind-looking Dr. Allura Alteran and Dr. Coran. Something about this didn’t sit well with him, but he was tired after their lovemaking, and all his focus right now was on hearing Shiro. 

“The anniversary of my surgery is coming up, so I guess it’s been on my mind a lot lately,” Shiro continued. “It took me years to get to the point I am now, and even then…Dr. Holt doesn’t trust me, I suppose. And not like I trust myself either. I keep my robotic hand in a box so that I wouldn’t get any sudden ideas to off myself after a nightmare. I still have some self-destructive tendencies, like not caring if I sleep out of my RV in the middle of a forest. If I got sick from the cold or if some predator devoured me, then it was fine. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was fine with it.”

Keith squeezed his hand. A man as kind and beautiful as Shiro, haunted by something so terrible…

“It’s funny, how I can look at the sky and marvel them, wonder if I was an astronaut during some previous life, and be allured by any tree I come across, leave someone because he killed an animal—because I value the lives of others, and yet…and yet I do not hold those same values for myself.” 

“It must have been in there before, or the doctor took it from you,” Keith suggested, frowning. The reason for the sadness behind Shiro’s eyes became so clear. 

Shiro nodded before a smile appeared. “In the end…it must have all worked out in the end, though, didn’t it? Had I not been so reckless and slept outside, ate outside, you wouldn’t have come seeking to eat from my pan. I didn’t fear you because I had nothing to fear. You didn’t fear coming near me because I couldn’t hurt you. In the end, look at where this both led us.” 

Keith mirrored his smile. “Yes. We’ve found each other. I’m sorry you’ve suffered so much, Shiro, but thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.” He brought Shiro’s hand to his mouth and kissed him. “You don’t need a gun with you when you do your field work. I can protect you, whatever it takes.” 

Shiro’s smile, full of utmost gratitude, shone like the moon, like the full moon behind them, and Keith’s heart froze. 

It was January’s full moon. The Wolf Moon. 

Keith’s pupils turned into tiny dots as the color drained from his face. The beginnings of a cold laughter echoed in the back of his head— _No! No no no no no-no-no-no-no—NO! I’m inside! I should be safe!_

“Keith? What’s wrong?” Shiro’s voice, seemingly so far away as Keith slipped off the bed, making for the door without so much as a thought of putting clothes back on. If she had followed him here, she could hurt Shiro, and he had just made his promise to Shiro and nothing— _nothing_ —was going to make him break that vow! 

The moment his feet hit the graveled ground of the glade, the transformation took place against his will. Back as a wolf, he scanned the vicinity, heart pumping, all senses on alert for the witch. 

A few moments later and Shiro appeared by the door, fully dressed. Vaguely Keith’s mind registered that he had placed his robotic hand back on. 

“Keith, what’s wrong?” Shiro asked again, but Keith could only whimper in reply. 

The laughter of the witch carried throughout. Shiro must have heard her, for he stood stock-still and looked about himself. Before the thicket of trees a thin lady appeared, shrouded in a long robe that dragged behind her feet. Though small in stature she somehow seemed to carry an immense presence. The sight of her again nearly froze Keith’s heart, an ancient horror from his past—recalling the night she raised her hand against his father and had cursed them all to live as beasts. 

The piercing yellow gaze of Haggar the witch regarded them with cold triumph as she raised her head. 

Behind him, Shiro gave a gasp. Keith thought he spoke, but he didn’t catch his words. 

“Poor little wolf has thought he found a friend,” Haggar crooned. Instinctively Keith backed towards Shiro, protecting him from her. He’d rip her throat out if she tried to do anything to him. “How touching, how _tragic_ he must bed the man who once bed his mommy and daddy’s murderers! How well did I play with your fates!” 

_What?_ Keith’s eyes widened. 

Shiro gasped again. “It’s you! Dr. Honerva! I recognize you!” 

Keith glanced at Shiro, then to Haggar, his mind whirring like mad; confused and dazed and shocked, his wolfish mind couldn’t take all of the information at once—

“Seems you’ve confused your little friend here; let me help—”

With another cold laugh, the witch sent jolts through his mind, jarring his memory: they were only roaming that night and had come upon a camp. They had not meant to linger at all but to pass the humans by, never meaning to disturb. But then there were the gunshots, and Keith watching helplessly as his father fell, then his mother, both of whom had jumped in front of him to protect him. A man shouted encouragingly at his son for catching the trespassing wolves; Keith looked up in that quick moment to see their killer’s face—he _was_ so oddly familiar: a bespectacled teen, almost like Matt Holt but with shorter hair and a shade darker in tone. 

It was Adam. Adam had killed them. Keith turned back towards Shiro as an unsettling feeling filled his belly. Shiro had said Adam had killed animals when he was a teen; it was a reason for them breaking apart. 

And hadn’t Shiro also said the anniversary of his surgery was soon? It must have been on that year’s Wolf Moon, when he too had become the witch’s victim. 

Their lives were far more interlinked than Keith had ever realized. 

Haggar. Haggar had orchestrated all of this. 

He had kissed his parents’ killers’ ex. Shiro had kissed Adam after Adam killed Keith’s parents. That was all Keith could think about.

“Keith…” Shiro began, reaching for him. “You know my ex’s actions do not reflect me…please…”

Keith flinched from his hand, whimpering still. The confusion rattling in his head did not subside, made worse by the fact that he was in a wolf’s body. All he could think of, an automatic reaction, was preservation; he bolted out and away from Shiro, racing through the forest and didn’t look back even as Shiro called for him.

*

“Witch!” Shiro yelled at Haggar. “I had come to you during my darkest hour, and what have you done to me since?! Traded my will to live for health? What have I done to you? What has Keith done to you? His family?! How many more have your fucked over with your malice?!”

Dr. Honerva, or Haggar as he had later come to learn halfway into the time of his treatment, regarded him with a glint in her mad eyes. “See, my pet? Even with a perfectly healthy body everyone will still abandon you in the end. You will always be alone. Use the gift I have given you.”

Shiro felt his mind fog, as if suddenly lost in a sleep-spell, as his robotic hand lit up. He peered into its beautiful violet glow. 

“You know what to do. How to end this sorrow.” 

Shiro brought the hand closer to himself. A howl carried somewhere far in the forest, and his heart skipped a beat. 

_Keith_. 

He glared up at Haggar and growled dangerously. “ _No._ ”

*

Keith’s feet carried him, for his mind remained blank, full of confused fear. A few times he let out a howl, unable to stop himself.

Lines of trees blurred in his vision until he was no longer certain where in the forest he was or how far deep he had gone. He simply ran and ran and ran until—

The sight of them halted his run, sending every fur on end. 

Two men were guffawing by their vehicle, chugging down cans and talking in a low, hard drawl that set Keith’s belly at unease. Even out in the earliest hours of dawn, they sat out, perhaps awaiting birds that would be out at this time. Cigarette smoke choked the air, and light bounced off the surface of a rifle. 

Hunters. And something about the timing of it all made Keith think Haggar had a hand in this. 

Keith took a step back, but had already made enough noise that drew their attention to him. 

“Lookit here, Roy,” the first one spoke. “A lone wolf. Must have been the thing howling earlier. Looks pretty tame to me, though.” 

“Should be an easy shot,” Roy said. “You love dogs, don’t you, Curtis?” 

“As long as their heads are plastered over my fireplace. And this one’s pretty.” 

Two barrels of guns pointed at him. Keith growled but stepped back. Either kill, which he didn’t wish to do—he didn’t want blood on his hands; he was better than them—or run off. Dodging two lines of gunfire would be difficult, but what other choice did he have? 

He sprung out of the way as the first man fired the shot. The two men took turns, and Keith only barely escaped, howling in fear and rage. 

“No— _NO!_ Stop, I beg you!” 

Keith didn’t know who had spoken until—another gunshot and someone screamed. Keith froze. The bullet would have soared right through his heart had someone not stepped in front between him and the two hunters. 

It was Shiro. He had screamed in agony and fallen to his knees, grasping his stomach. 

_No!_ Keith raced around Shiro nudging his lover until he could see the wound. It was two bullets, two meant for Keith. Both had pierced Shiro right through the stomach; his shirt grew darker by the moment. 

“Shit!” one of the hunters yelled. 

Keith glared back at them as grief shook his entire body. Had it not been for him, Shiro would still be okay. Keith had already failed in his promise to do whatever it took to protect Shiro. 

_No!_ Keith thought. _They were the ones who hurt Shiro! They hurt Shiro!_

The men took a step forward, pointing their guns towards Keith. 

He bared his teeth and growled, ears flattened back against his skull, the pupils of his eyes contracting into tiny dots.

*

Shiro came to to the sound of a heart monitor. Tucked into a white bed inside a room with light blue walls, he immediately recognized the interior of a hospital ward.

Someone was squeezing his left hand, and he turned to find Keith hunched over in a chair right beside him, cradling him and looking small. He wore green scrubs and draped in Shiro’s jacket; perhaps one of the nurses or medical residents had lent him one of their sets. 

“Keith,” Shiro spoke softly, his voice cracking from lack of use. “How long was I out?” 

Keith looked up at him, shame and guilt in his eyes. “I…I killed them both, Shiro.”

Shiro’s eyes widened.

“I’m sorry! The others don’t know. I didn’t want them to hurt you any more.” 

“Keith…it’s okay,” Shiro said. “You acted in self-defense. They were acting in malice. Did a police officer speak with you?” 

Keith nodded. 

“What did you tell them?” 

“I lied.” He turned his voice low so no one else could hear. “They told me not to tell you anything, but—” 

“Okay. But you have to tell me what really happened and what you told the police, so I can help you. You have to trust me.” 

Keith drew a shaky breath and nodded.

*

The two men didn’t stand a chance against a Keith full of grief and rage. Both mauled to death in minutes, Keith didn’t stop until the blood soaked up to his elbows and his mind ticked back to the bleeding human behind him.

Howling in grief, he ran back to Shiro, turning back to a human just as he reached him. 

“Shiro?” Keith called out, touching his cooling cheek, feeling for a pulse. Signs of life were still there, but alarmingly faint. 

Keith surveyed their surroundings, shivering from the cold. He had no idea how far he had run or where the RV was; he needed clothes—why couldn’t he turn back into a wolf all of a sudden?—but he had to help Shiro!—and there was blood on him; something told him to get the blood off him before he did anything else first—but he couldn’t waste time or Shiro will die!

_I can’t let anyone know what I did!_ the words rang in his mind, over and over. 

After a quick wash at the nearby stream, shaking worse than before, he lifted Shiro up in his arms and burdened through the chill. He kept away from the roads but kept his sight for the word “hospital” until he found the nearest one. 

He called out for help until help had come, though it had meant being the attention of alarmed medical personnel. A flurry of events happened all at once: Shiro whisked away from his arms, Keith trying to keep close, forgetting his own nakedness in his fevered panic and grief until a sympathetic nurse ran up and presented him with some clothes and led him away where he could calm down in a waiting room.

Later on he learned that the police had investigated the forest and found the remains of the men. Two of the officers had questioned him, introducing themselves as Officers Vakala and Remdax. They hadn’t mentioned the wolf or how the men had died, but the story Keith had given them was the following: 

“Shiro and I were having sex.”

“Why in the middle of the forest?” Officer Vakala asked, studying him intently. 

“We have an RV; we were doing research for a lab,” Keith added, hoping his words would not get anyone into trouble. “We heard wolves and some shouting. We saw the men and a wolf. We’ve never seen the men before. The men had their guns pointing at the wolf. There was shouting and it got scary. Shiro was shot. The wolf mauled the two men. I took Shiro to the hospital.” 

“Everything he’s telling us checks in with our findings,” Officer Remdax said to Officer Vakala later on. Keith listened in while trying to look inconspicuous. Although he could not turn back into a wolf for some peculiar reason, he still had sharper than average hearing. “Those were wolf marks on the men. Wolf tracks on the ground—we lost sight of them at some point; must have bugged off into the forest.”

“And his fingerprints?” 

“None were found on the men.” 

“You found the RV?”

“Yes. It wasn’t that far away from the scene of the crime. We rummaged through the RV. Not a single gun in sight, strange but might have been an oversight for these scientists. We found papers and jars with samples of plants and mushrooms and test tubes—they’re part of some research facility. They’re innocent. Everything this Keith says is the truth.”

*

Shiro chuckled lightly after Keith was done telling him everything.

“Guess Dr. Holt’s no-gun rule worked to our advantage in the end,” he said. 

“Are you in trouble?” Keith asked. “They searched through your RV.” 

Shiro raised his hand slightly. “Let them. They’re the police. They’ll be questioning me in a bit. I will tell them what you told me. Don’t be surprised if I go into more detail. Our styles have to be different, as long as the story remains the same.” 

Keith nodded. “I still don’t understand why I lost all feeling, like I can no longer turn into a wolf.” 

Shiro smiled sadly. “Well…you could say you weren’t the only one to kill in self defense last night. Haggar had tried to control my mind, trick me into killing myself, but I fought her off.” 

“But they—”

“Didn’t find a third body?” Shiro finished for him. Keith nodded. Shiro raised his right arm, showing his stump. “It disappeared along with Haggar’s body after I killed her. I can’t explain what happened. Maybe it was her curse leaving us. I suppose it took a little longer for her curse on you to wear off.” 

Keith’s eyebrows flew under his bangs. “I’m no longer cursed as a werewolf?” 

“Could be,” Shiro said. “How do you feel?” 

“I…I don’t know. Like I lost part of myself, but…I’m free…I suppose.” 

Shiro smiled and gave a sympathetic nod. “Same with me. I’m not cured from her infliction, but I feel I can do something about it—in fact, I _should_. I should ask Dr. Holt about some therapists he recommends, someone I can see and begin my treatment. I was playing it risky before, but I think it’s time I took more care of myself.” 

Their gazes met and smiled. Just then the two officers who had questioned Keith entered the room. 

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Shiro said promptly, and Keith was quick enough to not look confused. 

Keith stood outside as they questioned Shiro: 

“Keith and I were intimate, officer. We heard a commotion and some howls. I was worried for Keith so I told him to stay inside. I got dressed and went out. I saw two men trying to hunt down a wolf and I got worried. Their pickup was a bit away from us but it seemed they were messing around with this animal.”

“You mean they were chasing after it?” 

“Maybe. I tried to get them to stop.” 

“Why did you run to the wolf’s defense?” 

Shiro chuckled. “I’m an ecologist. I cannot help but want to help nature, and I didn’t think the wolf was going to cause harm to anyone unless provoked.” 

“Which it had.” 

“It did?” Shiro gasped. “How? When?” 

“After you were shot.” Shiro covered his face in his hand as the officers went on to explain the men’s fates. 

_Some performance_ , Keith thought after the officers left and he was allowed back inside. He settled back beside Shiro’s bed, leaning in. Shiro stroked his hair. 

“Not something I’m proud of, but we need to think of our own survival,” Shiro said. “The two men were malicious.”

“What’s going to happen now?” Keith asked. 

“They’ll notify the deceased’s families. We might be questioned some more, but otherwise, they’re done with us. We’re just innocent bystanders caught in a crossfire. None of our fingerprints were on them. We didn’t have a weapon. It was clearly a wolf who had killed them, but they won’t ever catch the wolf; there’s a number of them in the forest.”

“They won’t kill them because of what I did, would they?” Keith asked. 

“No,” Shiro said. “They might barricade the forest for a while. Try to prevent another mauling from happening. We just need to make sure we get our RV—and especially those samples—safely back to the lab. I’ll text Matt and Pidge later, assuming my phone’s battery isn’t dead.” 

He smiled up at Keith and held his hand. “Now turning to you. The matter of where you’ll be staying after this.” 

Keith nodded. “The police will suspect something if they see me sneaking off into the forest.” 

“Which is why I’m offering you: will you live with me? Stay with me at my place, and maybe, if you would like, we can do more field work together. You won’t have to get bored staying in town.” 

Keith’s heart soared. It had been _so_ long since he was near other humans. It was strange just being in the hospital, but, if he was with Shiro, always by his side—Keith gripped Shiro’s hand and kissed him once, twice, thrice. 

Beaming, he answered, “Yes! I do!”


End file.
